


Leaves in the Folio

by lalunaticscribe



Series: Folios: Cimitero dei Mostri [3]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Drabble Series, Gen, Multi, Mundane utility of powers, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 10:27:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3606729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalunaticscribe/pseuds/lalunaticscribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabble series rewarded from prompts or comment rewards in Dioscuri.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Burletta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How Tsuna started cross-dressing

“It's a spell,” Ietsuna insisted. “Boys with weak bodies who wear girls' kimono will grow up strong!”

In the mess of pink, a pair of tiny hands flailed. “I- Ie, c- can't breathe...”

Nana, fitted in her own kimono, giggled quietly. “Na-kun, don't make your older brother wear girls' kimono if he doesn't want to.”

“As the big brother, I have to strengthen my younger brother!” Ietsuna proclaimed, tiny fists clenched up like a five-year-old superhero. “So, Tsuna, wear the kimono.”

“Ie, we're twins,” Tsuna complained, struggling out of the cherry-pink kimono. “D- Don't change your family position when you feel like it!”

“Isn't that fine?” Ietsuna pouted. “I can take the responsibility of the older brother, and then play like the younger brother.”

“Children will be children,” Nana smiled towards the proprietor of the kimono shop. “Today, Mama will be going to a flower-viewing party, so Alouette-san will be your babysitters. Any questions?”

“Why do  _sakura_  petals turn pink?” Ietsuna asked. “Is it because there's a corpse buried under the tree?”

“Ie! That's scary!” Tsuna shuddered.

“Let's go home!” Cue studious ignoring of the question.

“Mama! You forgot Tsuna's kimono!” Ietsuna complained, and kept at it until Nana got the kimono.

“Ie, I don't want to dress like a girl,” Tsuna complained.

“This is a lucky charm, Tsuna!” Ietsuna scolded him, cheeks puffed out.

The saleswomen and Nana were giggling, discreetly taking pictures with a film camera as Ietsuna fiddled with the shop's overused rouges and makeup. Tsuna squirmed a bit in the formal wear and the cherry-pink furisode with purple  _obi_  and orange collar, unused to the focused expression that his twin was wearing as sticky fingers used the eye-shadow. Ietsuna remained entertained by the living canvas he was painting on.

Nana had been expecting something resembling a clown in a kimono, and the apology to the saleswomen had been hovering on her lips all the while. Though, she hadn't expected the wig. Or Ietsuna's surprisingly skilful, though budding, art skills. Or Tsuna's large caramel orbs.

“Mama...?”

“So cute!” the youngest saleswoman squealed.

“Really cute!” Nana agreed. “This morning glory knot1 really suits him!”

“Erm, madam, isn't that for girls...?”

“Tsu-kun is too cute!” Nana squealed.

“I- I-” Tsuna sniffed.

“Make-up is a type of battle armour,” Ietsuna stated. “This is war-paint! When you’re heading into battle, make sure to wear it. If you do, you’ll never cry.”

“R- Really?!” Tsuna looked suitably impressed for an eight-year-old.

“If you cry, your make-up will fall apart, and the result would be disgraceful,” Ietsuna scrunched up his face. “So regardless of how difficult things are, Tsuna absolutely will not cry!”

“Kyoya~”

“Do not even try, old carnivore,” the ten-year-old menace snapped. The old blonde woman ignored him in favour of dragging him along to the kimono shop. “I will not.”

“It's traditional attire,  _chéri_ ,” Alouette snapped back down. “You wear black and white and that armband all the time, a yukata is exactly the thing needed to introduce some colour.”

“I don't need-”

“Let's go, children!” a brown-haired herbivore and her herbivorous children were marching out.

One was draped in dark blue, and the other was in cherry-pink, painted in reds and whites and blushes, stiff and nervous but set out to do battle. The bright cherry colouring stood out, and perhaps that was when Hibari's eyes narrowed on the latter of the two mirror-herbivores. Wearing such bright colours in defiance of everything drab and dull, perhaps even challenging the world itself to outshine the- the...

“Armour...” Hibari Kyoya breathed. Sharp grey eyes that matched her grandson automatically latched onto the laughing and marching twins chasing after their mother, noting the young Hibari's attention on the brighter colours.

Whatever obsession with cross-dressing boys that her grandson got, Alouette pounced. “Yes. This is a warrior's costume, suited for carnivores. Now let's get you fitted out.”

And pick out a suitable white kimono, she did not add verbally. Even if the skylark spent too much time eyeing the display swords and then the fully traditional display and the white kimono.

 

 

1 _ **Asagao musubi (**_ _ **朝顔**_ _ **,**_ _ **あさがお**_ _ **, "morning glory") is a knot suitable for yukata. As its name suggests, it resembles the Japanese morning glory. The knot requires a great length of obi so it can be usually only be made for little girls.**_    

http://static.zerochan.net/Sawada.Tsunayoshi.full.389562.jpg


	2. Lento

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: some sweet little 1827 fluff... maybe one of them is ill and the other is there for him?

The sad fact of the circle of life was that carnivores also got sick. Specifically, even the flu could bring down the mightiest and most resilient of carnivores. Hibari Kyoya was currently acquainting himself with that little titbit of life, though it had its good points.

Namely, Hibari got to monopolise the singing.

   
_A_ _me ni nureta hoho wa_  
namida no nioi ga shita...  
_Y_ _asashii manazashi no_  
_t_ _abibito..._  
 

Before middle school, he already knew the little animal. The little one's twin slaved over the old carnivore in exchange for tutoring in combat. They should be herbivores, yet there was a strength to Sawada Ietsuna, not easily defined by the skylark's knowledge of life cycles. Hibari had picked up the strength of mind; where the body required training, the mind knew where to get it, and Sawada Ietsuna had that kind of mind with few scruples save his brother. Sawada Tsunayoshi should have been completely unassuming, if not for his forced entry as the Disciplinary Committee's newest member and cleaner fish to the Disciplinary chairperson.

Yes. Cleaner fish. He was Hibari's sometimes feeder, house cleaner, and – on that one time he had a hangnail and Sawada Tsunayoshi had a manicure kit on hand – weapons maintainer. He was a cleaner fish at the beck and call of the carnivore... one not easily quantified either.

   
_S_ _hizuka ni hibiiteru_  
_n_ _atsukashii ongaku_  
_o_ _moidasenai kioku_  
_s_ _amayou..._  
 

 _My protection is only worth a few scraps of food?_ had been Hibari's first thought. The most appropriate response to being forced into a club, was apparently to bring a bento to the head honcho. It was very well-made food; Hibari could get behind the cleaner fish concept, and he did. Though the little animal gave him arrhythmia sometimes.

Now, if only the light would stop stabbing his eyes...

   
_yume wa tobitatsu no_  
_chiisana tsubasa de..._  
_omoi no kienai basho made,_  
_futari de,_  
_tooi umi wo sora wo koete..._  
 

One eye appreciated the curvature of blue covered in white. That was before he realised that the song had fallen silent. “Come here. Sit down.”

“H- Hibari-san?” The boy sat down on the couch anyway, which gave him the chance to slide up and plant his head on the lap.

“Continue. If you stop, I'll bite you to death.”

A few months of insults and bitings – not, unfortunately, literal – had probably taught Sawada Tsunayoshi something, because Hibari's last thought was the song's last verse and slightly chilled hands on his steaming forehead.

It was sunset when he next awoke, and he knew this, because a carnivore never forgot his sense of time. “You're awake, Hibari-san,” the little animal smiles like the sunrise. So unlike his crepuscular brother.

“Hn.”

“Kusakabe-san went to get take-out for you.”

“Hn.”

“If you like, I still have some leftover bento...”

“Hn.”

“Very well, I'll use our cooker to heat it up after I get you some water. Do you need to take your medicine?”

Hibari waited until the bottle was handed to him. He took down half of it in one swallow, and then flung the bottle at Tsuna's general direction. “Why did it take three tries to get water?”

“ _Hiee_! I'm so sorry, Hibari-san!” The bottle bounced, but Tsuna managed to catch it. “I'll work on it!”

“See that you do. You haven't drank any water at all, have you? Drink. Now.”

The next day, Kusakabe came to see him. “Kyo-san... if you wanted an indirect kiss, terrorising Sawada-”

“I do not know what you mean, Kusakabe. Now file those reports; today's lunch is hamburger steak.”

  
_Kurai yoru no naka de..._  
_watashi wo terashiteru..._  
_yasashii manazashi no_  
_anata ni_  
_aitai…_  
 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: You are My Love, Japanese version. Performed by Makino Yui, composed by Yuki Kajiura. The version that most closely resembles Tsuna is in the video.


	3. Due corde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Promise. It will be great if it is possible to see how the twins still stay together in the future selves. But if it is jumping the gun for you, then maybe a drabble of their childhood on how the promise to stay together no matter what comes about for the twins.

“Nao-kun~!”

“ _Yes_?” Both twins peered up.

“Oh no,” Nana sighed. “Tsu-kun, you can't respond when I'm calling for Na-kun!”

“Why?” one of them piped up.

“Because the two of you look so alike, Mama can't tell you apart!” Nana complained. “Mama can't even tell which is which, Tsu-kun! You're entering elementary school soon!”

“Hibari can manage it,” the twin that spoke continued, eyes narrowing. “So can Kozato. Kaa-san needs glasses.”

“Ie!” the other spoke up, reproach present in his voice. “You don't have to say it like that!”

“Oh,” Nana shook her head. “I'll have to request that you two get sorted into separate classes, then.”

“No!” Ietsuna spoke up. “As long as this bond exist, we won't be separated. Big brothers are supposed to protect their younger siblings!”

“Don't change your age when you feel like it!” Tsuna exclaimed. “I'm the big brother!”

“...”

Both of them turned to her. “MAMA!”

“Mama doesn't know either...” Nana sighed as the two pre-elementary twins started arguing about seniority.

“Tsuna will protect Ie!” Tsuna exclaimed, pouting.

“...then, if you fail, I'll kick them!” Ietsuna rebutted with more wisdom, and perhaps a touch of common sense, the lack of which so plagued the Sawada family. “If I fail, Tsuna can take over.”

“Why if you fail?” came the complaint.

“Because Ma-” Ietsuna paused, tracing the simpler pronunciation first, “Maî- Ma- Hibari's grandma said so.”

“That's rude, Ie,” Tsuna sighed. “OK. Then, what about Kaa-san?”

“Isn't that obvious!?” Ietsuna said with the confidence of the young who thought himself as immortal. “We will! We always will! Because we'll always be together!”

“Yes!” Tsuna smiled, ignorant of the undercurrent of Flame that kept the twin bound into this world. “Always together, as long as this bond exists!”

Nana sighed, in bliss and partly in exasperation. Ietsuna had been a surprise; welcome, but nevertheless unexpected. Ietsuna's maturity, intelligence, strength and charm came together to form the tough protector, where Tsuna formed the softer, though no less deadly, complement.

If only he would show affection to anyone other than Tsuna, then Nana might regard him as less of her father-in-law reincarnate, and more of her son. Well, she reflected, the old man was a hero, having jumped to certain death with her babies clutched into his embrace to save them from the burning hospital.

Still... it was no wonder Iemitsu spent so much time at work...


	4. Risoluto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: a drabble about when grandpa saved the twins. 1st Person POV

The thing about dark fates was that, they always caught up to you. That was what I thought during that plummet towards my death, cradling one dead and one living grandson.

Is this how it ends? In terror and panic and sheer stupidity, holding the cooling corpse and the crying babe whose roars demanding of life are stolen through this fall? Is it absurd that my fate was determined by the passions of my youth and through the torture of monotony?

I spoke out against the Vongola Ottava, and was called Magnificent for it; I hated death and so I survived a passing hit, dragging Timoteo along across the continent of Europe to receive my payment, and fell in with the Vongola; I dared a better life preparing for an emigration that never occurred. Have those years in Europe won the unspeakable penalty, in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing.

This is the price that must be paid? Very well. Why, though, my son? Iemitsu, we raised you, and what did you bring home now? Only the shades of the Underworld. Only my grandson's...

Damn Iemitsu. Damn your ignorance and your naivety and your foolish wife. For having brought Tsunayoshi into this dark world... And damn Timoteo; he must have known about Iemitsu’s parentage. I hope you’ll experience the pain of losing your sons three times over.

There is no Flame I can call, no weapon I can unholster, no Dying Will that I can use to survive my final fall. I am headed where there are no second chances. What about later? What about Tsunayoshi?

I cradle Ietsuna close to me, and tuck Tsunayoshi in. “Sorry, Tsunayoshi,” I tell them. “I need to accompany your brother to the Sanzu River after this[10]. Ah, I hope that scatter-brained Nana remembers the  _jizo **[11]**_.”

Little Tsunayoshi is crying, and for a moment, it sounds like old grief and pain instead of a baby’s confused wail. And… is that? Yes, orange Flames burst from his forehead and touch me. I feel my own Flames leaping up to respond. I can hardly dare hope. My Flame is black.

Two different cries. It is not an illusion. Ietsuna bawls in response to Tsunayoshi’s desperation, as the black Flame goes into him.

The pain of my burnt arms is forgotten by the sudden lightness of my heart. There is no more will to do things as if I were to die. I am going to die.

I hold Tsunayoshi and Ietsuna close. Black flames surround Ietsuna; sorry, Tsunayoshi, but your younger brother needs it more than you.

“Old man!” That's Iemitsu. He's running here.

“Idiot,” I say. “You brought something home.”

Iemitsu is... crying...? I can't hear anything. My sight is fading. There is nothing now.

Don't worry, Tsunayoshi, Ietsuna. You'll have each other. Grandpa is just... going ahead first. If you need me... when you need me, I'll come back.

There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn enough. I have plenty of scorn.

* * *

**_**[10]**  _ ** **_The Sanzu River (_  ** **_三途の川_  ** **_Sanzu-no-kawa), or River of Three Crossings, is a Japanese Buddhist tradition and religious belief similar to the River Styx. It is believed that on the way to the afterlife, the dead must cross the river, which is why a Japanese funeral includes placing six coins in the deceased's casket._ **

**_**[11]**  _ ** **_In Japanese mythology, it is said that the souls of children who die before their parents are unable to cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance, by hiding them from demons in his robe, and letting them hear mantras._ **


	5. Affettuoso

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt:  
> Squalo's perspective [when Xanxus returns to the Varia base in Namimori with the flower he got from Tsuna?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3284459/chapters/8067438) I don't know if you could do something with that, maybe more just 'The Varia reacts to their boss coming back from a walk holding a flower for some reason.' I can see Luss making 'the boss is lovestruck!' theories and Levi freaking out about his boss accepting flowers from someone...
> 
> Note: This takes place around [Folio 17](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3284459/chapters/8134083)

Going to Japan had both tactical and emotional value as a strategic move. For one, it meant that confirmation of the Half Vongola Rings' authenticity could be carried out much faster locally. For another, it kept them away from the influence and rumour mill of the Old World, and thus placed physical distance between the Iron Fort and the Varia. It meant the newly recovered Xanxus could focus on the conflict at hand. Something about meditation and calming the heart, at least enough to destroy the enemy.

Squalo had not expected to return from the local laboratory containing the mass spectrometer to see nearly everyone running around like headless chickens. And his boss mooning over a Gerbera daisy.

The headless chickens first, he decided. It looked like a Voodoo ritual too much for him to be comfortable with it.

“Boss! We need to incinerate the flower-” Levi was out for the count with an empty bottle to the head. Huh, Squalo was sure that had been completely full a few hours ago.

“Ushishishi, the prince is unsure how to proceed,” Belphegor snickered to cover up his nervousness, hiding in a corner. “Careful, idiot captain. This insanity might be contagious. The prince does not want it.”

“VOOOII!” Squalo yelled in confusion. “What's going on?”

“Squ-chan~!” Lussuria cooed over towards Squalo, actually sashaying towards him, much like a gender-confused mother hen. “I think Xan-chan is in love~!”

“...What.” In Squalo's defence, that totally deserved the flatness.

“Today Boss came home with that flower, and so far he's just been staring at it,” Lussuria squealed in cheer. “It looks like a girl gave it to him~!”

Squalo, Levi, and even Belphegor flinched. Xanxus was already staring at the flower with the sort of gaze that could match the ferocity of Stromboli. The Varia had done training missions on the island before it erupted (again), and the force of such of an explosion would have been considered weak in the face of Xanxus's current stare, shadows of which Squalo had only glimpsed when the Varia Boss was in lust. This was... this was...

“The poor girl,” Squalo pondered. “Wonder what she did in a past life to deserve the Boss's undivided attention. Speaking of which, where's Mammon? Never mind, I bet he's out scamming people again...”

In Shimon Town, the newly grown Mammon AKA Viper sneezed.

“Hmph,” Ietsuna looked at the cups of ice-cream he just bought off of the vendor. “I guess young children really shouldn't eat ice-cream this close to winter-”

“We're adults now!” Skull and Viper yelled back.


	6. Scherzando

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I want an 1827 love! And a happy one at that (I will leave it to you whether it will be Dioscuri canon or not). If it is possible, I want one that taken place in the possible future, or a little peek to the future/older 1827. So, adult!Kyoya and adult!Tsuna and some love~ (I think I am deprived of my beloved 1827 LOL). No painful angst and tragedy please! But a happy or fluffy one :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm taking this chance to delve into another OC created just for Dioscuri, and to give a preview of an upcoming Box Weapon! Do note that this is only one of the 10 probable futures stemming from what will come later in Dioscuri after the retreaded Varia Arc. – LLS

The kidnapping, when it came, was both expected and completely unexpected. Expected, because Hibari was already chomping for some _alone_ time with the omnivore. And unexpected, because no one anticipated the depths to which Hibari Kyoya would plunge in order to guarantee one uninterrupted month in which he could devote his complete attention to Tsuna, fighting, Tsuna, eating, Tsuna, sleeping… for a _month_ , without interruptions and with his complete attention divided to Tsuna, fighting, Tsuna, eating, Tsuna, and sleeping...

...and Namimori, as well, but the skylark was currently in a migratory phase that could imply a round-the-world honeymoon after a quick elopement. This was probably the elopement, assisted by Nocturne Trading, the jack-of-all-trades run by Ietsuna and the strongest Box Weapon.

“All coordinates set, Elmo reports to approved user Hibari Kyoya-sama,” the familiar feminised voice of the omnivore's female copy, this time in a pitch-black dress, reported to the black-haired glowering Cloud, who carried a flailing Vongola Boss over his shoulder. “The central bungalow on Stromboli has been fully equipped with one month of provisions, passports are updated and fixed, and if needed we will contact you, Elmo provides further explanation. Will you be taking one of the Vongole with you?”

“Of course,” Hibari smirked.

“Elmo, you traitor!” Tsuna yelled. “I have things to do, paperwork to fill out! I can’t just toss it aside! And Hibari-san too, why did you pull them into this?!”

“Uncle, you worry too much. Papa has already made arrangements, Elmo reassures,” Elmo smiled, and since it was his own face smiling at him, only slightly modified to pass as female, it did not reassure him in the slightest. “He said that his wedding gift to you is to do your paperwork for this month of honey, Elmo adds helpfully.”

“T- That doesn't make it better!” Tsuna quailed. “Ie would hijack the Vongola if given access to the paperwork! Or did you forget the cause of Reborn's last shooting rampage?! And what about the others?!”

“Papa mentioned that when he says that he’ll do your paperwork for you, he really meant threatening to take over your paperwork and hijack the Vongola if it wasn't done, Elmo snickers,” she replied. “As for the rest of the user group Vongola X, CEDEF, Varia et cetera, their decisions are irrelevant since they would be defending the Vongola from Papa.”

Elmo smiled as beside her, two more copies of her appeared, one in a dark indigo dress and another in the same dress except in orange. “Vongole units #614E6E and #F08300 will be following you. The honeymoon will start in Naples. Is that alright with Hibari-sama?”

“Little animal?”

Tsuna sighed and stopped struggling against Hibari’s hold. “You planned this?” he asked his lover.

Hibari shrugged.

Which meant, in the skylark’s language: _Yes I put in a lot of effort to plan a romantic getaway for you._ _I_ _f you refuse, I’ll be quite hurt and refuse to admit it,_ _and_ _instead_ _bite people to death_ _for the next month._

“Fine, fine,” Tsuna was resigned to his fate. Why was Hibari so high-maintenance?! “And... thank you very much...”

“Futaai and Mikan are on hand once more! Vongola #614E6E reports in glee.”

“Will Tsuna-sama choose to wear his normal attire, or does he prefer to bring his secret stash of lingerie instead? Vongola #F08300 asks directly.”

Tsuna flailed, trying and failing to escape Hibari and the sight in front of Hibari; the wedding dress that Elmo held up with the orange-coloured Elmo looked too puffy to be wearable. “That's a bit extreme... Elmo!”

“Papa will be running the Vongola in your stead, and we will always be on hand along with Papa,” Elmo bowed as smoky, inky black enveloped the pair. “Enjoy yourselves, Elmo prepares to bid goodbye to Uncle and Hibari-sama with her well-wishes. Do come again to Nocturne Trading for all your necessities!”

“I didn't want-” Tsuna panicked as the pair of them led out to an empty street. “I-”

“Is it so bad, spending time alone with me?” Hibari asked, somehow having moved Tsuna into a bridal carry during the transition. A nearby sign they passed announced them to be in Naples.

“I- It's not that, Hibari-san...” Tsuna put his face in his hands. “It's... it's been so long... I'm so tense I can barely move- and now Ie's dropped us without-”

A pair of clams dropped onto the curve of Tsuna's stomach; one dark indigo, and one orange. They clacked in tandem, and Tsuna winced as a bag dropped down and knocked some air out of him. A note was taped to the bag:

 _Relevant parties notified._ _Futaai and Mikan will be your_ _coordinators. Passports all clear-_ _you know what_ _?_ _I got everything._ _Just enjoy yoursel_ _ves_ _._ _–_ _Ie._

“He's hijacking the Vongola...” Tsuna moaned. “He's going to take over it via paperwork manipulation.”

“Fun~” Hibari grinned as Tsuna pulled out with shaking hands a set of maps – the top one indicating the Hotel Piazza Bellini. “Can you forgive him?”

“P- Probably- Reborn!” Tsuna remembered. “And Nonno! What will they think?!”

“I presume your twin will inform them,” Hibari growled, walking up to the main street and to the hotel. “Now, I would like tuna fish for dinner.”

“B- But I'll need a kitchen- a- ah, oh, you mean that kind of tuna- This is public indecency, Hibari-san! P- Please wait until we reach the hotel!”

“No one can restrain me with logic.” The words were laden with a certain promise that had Tsuna quailing.

A month later, Tsuna stormed up to his desk and slammed an orangey clam onto the mahogany top. Across him, Ietsuna looked up. “Welcome back. I didn't manage to usurp the Vongola through the efforts of your hard-working Guardians. Your skin is very smooth, Tsuna. Did you have fun?”

“My ass hurts and I’m now a married man in several countries!” Tsuna laments. “Restrain Elmo, will you? She and the little clams kept trying to stuff me into a wedding dress!”

Hibari swept into the room. A dark indigo clam clattered beside its orange sister. There was a pause, then a loud smack, and Tsuna squeaked indignantly.

“Restrain your damn skylark first!” Ietsuna retorted as and Hibari swept out before turning to the clams. “Futaai, Mikan, I'm sure you've uploaded the photographs to the Rete Vongole...”


	7. Pesante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: the AU of Dioscuri where the older Ietsuna survived, and in the process scuppered every plan of the Vongola Famiglia intended for its prospective heir.

 

“ I told you. I told you,” the old man verbally berated his son. “ Why is he here?”

“Come on, old man,” Iemitsu pleaded. “Isn't it better to renew old ties? You need to move forward after the wake. My son is dead, but Tsuna's still alive. Nono said that he wants to meet the boy.”

“Timoteo poisons everything he touches!” Sawada Ietsuna the elderly man spat back. “You too! What the hell did you bring back this time?! One of my grandsons is dead because of him, and you're planning to take my other grandson to him?!”

“T- There's nothing wrong,” Iemitsu pleaded. “We're technically family too, you know, since our ancestor and Nono's ancestor-”

“Like I care!” Ietsuna, who used to called Lorenzo the Magnificent in his days within Europe, spat back. “Where the hell were they during the war? Do you _know_ how to  keep Tsuna safe, you imbecile? Assassins are always after him!!”

“B- But, old man, you know that Nono would protect my son with his life-”

“I don't want his bloody good intentions! I want a _guarantee_!”  Lorenzo flopped back on his pillow. “Or are you going to endanger your child? I never taught you to do that.”

“Yes, you were always there for me,” Iemitsu nodded patiently. “You're the best father I could ask for, even if I'm an idiot. But, Nono really, really wants to meet Tsuna. His oldest son is dead, and another one might follow-”

“Hmph. So what?”

“Dad!” Iemitsu lamented. “You know how the Vongola works. At this rate, Tsuna is going to end up taking over?”

“Why not you?”

“Dad,” Iemitsu sighed. “I'm in CEDEF. You can't have forgotten how Vongola works. That would put too much power to the hands of one family.”

“Why not me?”

I emitsu remained silent, and then he flinched. “ Erm...  Visconti always said that the  ' _Magnifico_ ' in your name... really means  ' _il bastardo magnifico_ ' .  It's nothing about your ability! Honest! ”

“Ah, Biscotti,” Lorenzo spoke with the air of resignation. “My old enemy. So... what happens if Timoteo's sons all die?”

I emitsu swallowed. “Tsuna... Tsuna will have to take over.”

“You will not resign CEDEF, then.”

“I worked for that!” Iemitsu burst out. “I... I _can't_.”

“...I understand,” Lorenzo stated, eyes closed. “I'll think of a way for you.”

“Thanks... old man.” Iemitsu grinned, unaware of the menace that he had just awoken, or the look of pity that his father had hidden from him.

“You are an evil old man,” Alouette Lei spoke once her friend and former colleague – though technically CEDEF and the Vongola were considered separate entities – had outlined his plan, two days after being hospitalised in traction from saving his grandsons. Only one had made it. The boy with the tuft of brown hair currently sleeping in the cot next to his grandfather's cot looked strangely forlorn without his twin. “Trying to abduct your grandson and spirit him away, from your own son?”

“Timoteo came with him this time,” the elderly Sawada Ietsuna, once called Lorenzo in Italy, nodded, pushing a hand through his greying comb-over. “And they brought something back with them. I don't know and don't care what, but they killed my grandson. They _killed_ my grandson, Alouette.”

The Frenchwoman exhaled slightly. “Oh, Laurent,  _mon chéri_ . Aren't you over-thinking this?” 1

“Iemitsu is going back to Palermo with Timoteo tomorrow and leaving Nana alone,” Lorenzo insisted. “I've arranged to move in with Nana and Tsuna once I'm discharged, then I just need to get Nana out of the way and change the _koseki_.  I can't lose another one.”

“...you know, I once thought your family obsession was bad, but this...” Alouette shrugged. “...this is... your _son_.”

“I lost my son and grandson to the Mafia,” Lorenzo's fist tightened on the bedclothes covering his bandaged leg. “You lost your husband too, you know how it feels. I hope Timoteo experiences my pain three times over.”

“That vindictive streak of yours is terrifying,” Alouette mused. “So you'll be using the law to get what you want. Yet... you do realise that mothers tend to get custody, right? Even if, somehow, you drive your daughter-in-law to sue for a divorce instead of driving you out of the house, she might just take the child and disappear. Then you won't see Tsuna again.”

“I can deal with that,” Tsuna's grandfather nodded grimly, thinking of the depressants hidden under the floorboards of the Sawada house. “If it's for Tsuna, I can deal with anything. No... I _must_ deal with anything. Iemitsu doesn't have the spine to argue until he's blue in the face for his beliefs, and he'll probably think that Tsuna would take after him. I just... can I put you down as the one who gets custody if I die?”

“ _Moi_? ” Alouette placed a hand over her bosom. “I have a grandson I can't get close to. You were at the baby shower.”

“Yes, I know little Kyoya must be teething already, but I don't know anyone else I trust who can do it,” Lorenzo explained. “I mean, I thought about Tsuyoshi-kun-”

“My goodness, he's got his own child to worry about!” Alouette interjected.

“And the Sasagawa family... well, they're fairly crowded, and I don't trust the Gokudera since they left Namimori to settle in Italy,” the old man counted with nimble, wrinkled fingers. “I haven't been in touch with the Mukuro, and the others I know are all in the Mafia. You're retired, and you have a special position.”

Alouette hummed, pensively glancing towards the cot and the sleeping baby who dozed quietly, unaware of his grandfather's plotting to secure him a future. “Enrico is dead, and I hear that Massimo is next. If this continues... all of Timoteo's sons will die.  If you take Tsu-chan away, t he Vongola will cease to exist.”

“The old clam can get crushed and die,” the elderly man spat bitterly. “I'll protect the one left behind, in the place of his twin brother.”

“ _Hélas! Hélas! qu'il est terrible de savoir, quand le savoir ne sert de rien à celui qui le possède, 2_” Alouette murmured. “And, in the future, what will he think? What will he say when that famous honesty of yours comes, and tells him that you broke apart his family and left his father behind?”

“...he might hate me,” the old Ietsuna agreed. “But he’ll still be alive. I want him to live to hate me, if it comes to that.”

Alouette clicked her tongue before she agreed; somewhere,  Lorenzo  _Il Magnifico_ was still Magnificent. A Magnificent Bastard, that is.

Two years later, Sawada Iemitsu came back to Namimori to find his wife dosed to the gills in a mental institution, locked up for child abuse, and his father and son gone.

Fifteen years later, the last son of the Ninth, Xanxus, fell down dead, bleeding from every possible orifice as the Vongola Rings rejected his blood with grievous consequences. It would be here that Timoteo, Vongola IX, died of a heart attack brought on by shock. Amidst this crisis, Sawada Iemitsu would take the throne of the Vongola, and become Don Vongola X. He would remarry, and a blond boy with blue eyes would be born, only to die when the Millefiore Famiglia rose up and began to crush the Vongola.

The Millefiore would later be crushed when its Boss targeted a sleepy little town called Namimori, it would be said. The hero who destroyed Byakuran and the Millefiore was a boy with eyes of gold and a cape of flame, as open and as welcoming as the wide blue sky, and he would fight and emerge in triumph, and then... then he he would vanish, leaving no trace of what people had deemed the rebirth of Vongola Primo.

It is now ten years later, five years before the climatic battle.  At a temple in Namimori, Tsuna stood beside the grizzled old man, red maple leaves dropping around them and the  _jizo_ statue. “Jii-chan?”

“Mmm?” Ietsuna clapped both hands in prayer after stacking a small pile of stones. A moment of silence passed before Sawada Ietsuna stood back up. “You're wondering why, right?”

“I've met Na-kun,” Tsuna hesitated. “But... what about my mother and father?”

“I knew you'd ask that... they killed your brother,” the old man replied. “He died before he even had a chance to live. He died to protect you.”

Tsuna pondered on that sentence. “Should I give him something? Maybe next time we could bring dango... or something  else !”

“...maybe,” Ietsuna agreed. “Live without regrets, Tsuna. He would want that for you.”

“Yes! But... does my brother have a name?”

“... no,” Ietsuna's lips thinned. “He'll be reborn someday, to a better fate. So we can't give him a name. Only this _jizo_ is left, while he's waiting, and we stack these stones to help him gain enough karma to be reborn while O-Jizo-sama protects him  on the banks of the Sanzu River.3 Jii-chan will join him one day, but I can't do that yet. Otherwise, who will care for you, Tsuna?”

“But Tsuna is a big boy!”

“Yes, yes. But until you become a man, and maybe beyond that... Since your brother can't do it, Jii-chan will stay with you, alright? You won't be alone.”

“Yes!” Tsuna smiled. “Hayato-kun is going to visit with Mukuro-nii and Lambo, right? And then we can play knights and dragons with H- Hibari-san!”

“Mm, yes. It's Kyoya-kun's turn to play the knight in shining armour.”

“Really?!”

“What, you're going to marry him, Tsuna- _hime_?!”

“Jii-chan!” Tsuna was scandalised. “But... Hibari-san is more like a dark knight. Like... Batman! He's so cool and he keeps the discipline everywhere... but sometimes we have to stick up to him. Because hurting friends is bad!”

“Yes, yes,” Lorenzo kept nodding and smiling, especially as Tsuna's conversation trailed towards Tsuyoshi's boy and a Sasagawa-sempai and boxing. “I wish your father learnt the same lesson you remembered.”

“Why? I- Is Daddy a bad person?”

“Your father is... a careless person,” Lorenzo finally spoke. “He smiles and he does care, but he... he'll screw up and teach people all the wrong values and make enemies for the hell of it. He's... very careless with his family. He smashes things and people, and goes back to your mother or his carelessness or whatever it is that keeps him with his job, and things follow him back.”

“So... it's not actually his fault?” Tsuna asked. “It's actually... the bad things, right? The things that follow him back?”

“Tsuna,” and here Lorenzo knelt down to face the boy, very serious, “if you went out and kicked a beehive by accident, and you returned home all smiling and happy without looking back, and a lot of bees came home with you and stung Jii-chan, is that the bees' fault?”

“N- No!” Tsuna insisted. “B- Because the bees didn't do anything wrong. I- I p- pro- kicked them first.”

“It's like your father that way,” Lorenzo nodded. “Your father is a good guy. A loud idiot, and he makes friends easily. But, he is careless about those closest to him, and when they get hurt, he stays far away from them because of that.”

Tsuna glumly looked down to his shoes. “But... Jii-chan loves my dad, right?”

“He's an idiot, but he's my son. Of course!” Lorenzo stood back up, dusting his knees. “Ah... let's go home first to throw salt over our shoulders. Then Jii-chan will teach you how to make _choux_ pastry!”

“Yes!”

* * *

_**1 Laurent is the French version of Lorenzo.** _

_**2FR: Alas! Alas! How terrible is wisdom when it serves nothing to the wise.** _

_**3 In Japan, Ksitigarbha, known as Jizō, or Ojizō-sama as he is respectfully known, is one of the most loved of all Japanese divinities. In Japanese mythology, it is said that the souls of children who die before their parents are unable to cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance, by hiding them from demons in his robe, and letting them hear mantras.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, Ietsuna's plot here is very Japan-specific – requiring the use of the family courts in order to wrest custody of a minor – and assumes that the Vongola weren't watching the Sawada household all the time, allowing Ietsuna Sr to take Tsuna and disappear. It follows like this: Tsuna was under joint custody of Iemitsu and Nana. Since Iemitsu is often out of the country – up to neglectful standards – Nana is the primary caregiver. By putting Nana away into a situation where the courts declare her an unfit mother, and then bringing up his son's neglect, Ietsuna then adopts Tsuna – which is simplified since they share the same koseki, the household record. Then Ietsuna disappears since he has the primary right and obligation over Tsuna right now; effectively, Ietsuna stole Tsuna out from under Iemitsu's nose.


	8. Lacuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: You asked for a prompt..... I don't know...... Some 1827 fluff? It looks like the safest thing, I can't get my mind out of the gutter...... And I haven't even finished reading this yet! Hmm...... maybe a chase from Kyoya? Like...... he wanted his daily fix of Tsuna? I dunno. I can't stop imagining Kyoya chase Tsuna (that's wearing some rather hot clothing) all over a massive mansion/castle...... And the end result....... The mangled looking slim neck... *stare at the screen dreamily* – RavenWhiteMoi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to RavenWhiteMoi for the 250th review to Dioscuri!

Halfway into the preparations for the summer festival, Kusakabe Tetsuya stopped talking with the Disciplinary Committee treasurer when the explosion sounded.

“Was that Gokudera?” Sawada Ietsuna commented, fiddling with a red pen. “No, he's not in school today. What was that?”

“That sounds like the chairman breaking down a wall,” Kusakabe muttered.

“Alright, that's another twenty thousand yen out of the budget,” Ietsuna muttered, writing in red ink over the accounting book he held. “What is Hibari thinking-”

The door opened, and then clicked shut before Ietsuna's twin threw his whole – very slight – weight onto the door.

“Ie, Kusakabe-san,” Tsuna sniffed, trying to straighten his blazer. “Hibari-san's going to bite me to death! Hide me?”

“Ah, Sawada-san,” Kusakabe considered the pleated skirt poking out of the blazer the Sawada twin was wearing. “What was it for?”

“Ah, no,” Tsuna looked down. “Hibari-san is biting me to death for Gokudera-kun. Gokudera-kun was supposed to be restocking today, but he came to school. He came across Sasagawa-sempai, and the explosives got a bit out of control, and my skirt lifted in front of Hibari-san as I was bending over.”

Ietsuna immediately peered at him. “You don't look burned.”

“ _Home run!_ ” Yamamoto's battle cry preluded another explosion.

“...is Yamamoto involved in the fight too?” Ietsuna changed the subject.

“He's part of the reason why Hibari-san is chasing after me,” Tsuna fidgeted. “Yamamoto-kun was supposed to be at baseball practice. He switched to _Kendo._ He was carrying a shinai when Sasagawa-sempai tried to recruit him, and my clothes got sliced by the Shigure Kintoki in front of Hibari-san.”

“Sawada-san,” Kusakabe tried to intervene, “please speak slower. Why is the Sasagawa brother the punchline again?”

“ _Extreme_!” said punch-line’s yell echoed before another explosion.

“Ah...” Tsuna fidgeted. “Sasagawa-sempai finished boxing practice, so he was running laps around the school. He met an octopus-head and got into a fight, which set off an explosion when I was passing by. According to his cries, a baseball idiot joined the fight as well as I was passing by. My skirt was blown by the explosion's up-draft, the shorts I wore underneath got sliced, and in the mess, Sasagawa-sempai somehow managed to rip my underwear off as I was trying to pick up the banners I dropped for the summer festival, so Hibari-san... thought I was mooning him.”

“ _Those three stooges managed to put together a miraculous combo!_ _”_ Ietsuna shouted, nearly spitting fire.

“Sawada-san... the closet,” Kusakabe pointed as the door took on some aura of malevolence that indicated that Namimori's demon was on the other side of it.

The door crashed open as soon as Tsuna was safely secured within. “Tetsu,” Hibari growled, glaring at Ietsuna. There was nary a scratch on him, though both boys were more focused on the charred scrap of white next to the leather collar in the head prefect's hand. “Sawada Ietsuna. Have either of you seen the little animal?”

Ietsuna blinked, sweating profusely. “If we tell you, what are you going to do?”

“Exhibitionism is not allowed on school premises. I'll bite him,” Hibari glowered. “Then I'll use this collar the old carnivore gave me to make sure crowding herbivores know who he belongs to.”

“Kyo-san, Sawada-san is not a pet,” Kusakabe suggested. “Even though his presence is contingent to maintain the school peace...”

Hibari's expression turned contemplative. The white cotton stretched to reveal lace patterns.

Ietsuna stared at the white cotton. “Hibari, go slip on a puddle, hit your head on the ground and _die_.”

“Thank you for your blessing. I'll go mark the little animal now.”

“Huh?” Ietsuna blinked, massaging his temples. “Assuming that it was a blessing to... mate, whatever... how are you going to find Tsuna?!”

Hibari took a deep inhale through his nose. A second later, Tsuna was screaming as the metal closet meant for papers and files became a victim of the infamous twin tonfas, and they were running away after decimating the office.

“ _This is bullshit!_ ” Ietsuna's exclamation followed them.


	9. 9: Prima Donna - Interview Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to L's Cappuccino for the 300th review!

**Hi, welcome to the Author's Notes version! The hit fanfic** _**Dioscuri** _ **is now entering a new arc that defines its existence, so today we have an omake to discuss future developments! This time we're going to interview the cast with their thoughts about this revamped Future Arc, in this Dioscuri Interview Special!**

**Everyone, please welcome Tsu-chan!**

Y- Yes? Author-san, you said that we're going to be interviewing the whole cast, so why am I the only character sent ten years in the future? This is unfair!

**Ah, that's because everyone else would be aged ten years. So Sawada Tsunayoshi (15 years old) will be starring with everyone else (~25 years old).**

S- So I'll be the only minor!

**You can't say that. Lambo (15 years old) and I-Pin (~15 years old) is also a minor. They'll also be minors. And if you think about it, all the Box Weapons are much younger.**

So the Box Weapons are starring roles as well?!... Speaking of which, why did such a cruel scene like Adult Lambo being shot with machine-gun rounds happen!

**That is to showcase the grittiness of the new arc! That, and to show Elmo's and Midori's capabilities. Elmo, Midori and others like her play a big role, so this is an establishing character moment.**

Midori... she's a human Box Weapon, right? Elmo, Ōtan, Midori, and now Murasaki... so, Box Weapons turned from animals to humans in  _Dioscuri_ ? And they all have my face?!

**Tsu-chan, that's only true if you acknowledge humans to be simply another type of animal. If you think about it, the human body is not exactly the best shape for offensive or defensive weapons. Since there are 343 blueprints, they can't all be animals based on you. That would reek of mass-production.**

Author-san, it'll all become spoilers once you tell everyone! Besides that, please explain why all the human Box Weapons featured so far have my face!

**What's wrong with that, Tsu-chan? This increases the moe factor, right?**

Author-san, there's something wrong if the only moe comes from me! Besides, I'm a boy! The moe factor comes mainly from girls!

**Ah? But, the moe factor is gender-blind, Tsu-chan!**

Don't call me Tsu-chan! I have a proper name, Sawada Tsunayoshi! And this is based on a Shōnen manga, introducing a moe factor turns this into a gag comedy! And this doesn't count as a cast interview when I'm the only cast member here! At least call someone else too!

**How about we call Ten-Years-Later! Hibari-san? :D**

Er, no, I’m fine, please don't call him, Author-san. He just got injured.

**-.-' Y- You're right... by the way,** _**Dioscuri** _ **so far hasn't given you much character development, right, Tsuna-san?**

Is that so? I don't think there's anything wrong.

**But you don't have a lot of fight scenes, and you don't seem as close to your Guardians, and actually you don't seem like the main character.**

As long as everyone seems happy, I'm fine. Because... they're happy, right? Gokudera-kun gets along with his older sister, Enma has his younger sister, even Mukuro is settling in, and Lambo has a reliable older brother figure in my twin brother.

**Is that so... I'm sorry, the Future Arc would break everyone's hearts. Because your Family will become the enemy~**

That's sad! Why would the author invest so much in the character's past happiness just to break that all up in the future!?

**Well, because the Mare Rings allow for the possibility of alternate universes, all authors can use that as a justification. So, if there's a universe with max sadness, there must exist a universe with max happiness. All universes are different except that Byakuran would be killed, because he was killed by you in Canon. What do you think...? Tsuna-san, when did you enter Hyper Dying Will mode...?**

Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition!

**I'm sorry!!!!! *frozen***

*turn to audience* This level won't kill Author-san, so please send in reviews about our performance to melt her out. The next arc would feature: temporal displacement, mysterious conspiracies, and twin switches. With this, ends the Dioscuri Interview Special.


End file.
